opposing views about progress on brexit as the eu's chief negotiator says he can't yet recommend the start of trade talks. while the uk talks of significant progress, michel barnier says there's no movement on the divorce bill. translation: on this question, we've reached a state of deadlock, which is very disturbing. our aim is provide as much certainty as possible to business, citizens and the european union. and on this, we're making real and tangible progress. it all comes ahead of a meeting of eu leaders next week when the uk had been hoping to get the go ahead for trade talks. also tonight. harvey weinstein, the disgraced movie mogul, now alleged sexual assaults are being investigated by police in london and new york. a british woman working for so—called islamic state in syria has been killed in a drone strike. government proposals to cap energy bills for two thirds of households

until at least 2020. and the national trust votes on banning hunting with hounds on its land — even when they're not chasing a fox. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, scotland begin the search for a new manager, after gordon strachan leaves the role, following their failure to qualify for next year's world cup in russia. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. brinkmanship or genuine frustration? whichever it was, there was no doubting the downbeat assessment of the state of the brexit talks by the eu's chief negotiator. michel barnier said there remains a disturbing deadlock over how much the uk is prepared to pay when it leaves the eu.

he said as a result he can't recommend to eu leaders next week that trade talks begin. brexit secretary david davis however talked of the significant progress that has been made. our political editor laura kuenssberg has more. this contains some flash photography. she wasn't there to help. eu super girl and anti—brexit campaigner had slinked her way in today. but listening to the eu chief negotiator it will need a real superhero to get this moving. translation: we have had useful technical discussions michel barnier said. but we are in deadlock. it is disturbing. that means the talks won't go his way for now. to start talking trade, in the future. the position we are in now is defined by the council's criteria of sufficient progress, the next step is the

european council in october, and clearly we would like them to give michel barnier the means to broaden the negotiation, it is up to them whether they do it. i think it is in the interest of europe and the united kingdom they do. listen carefully though. it was not all doom. a promise to find way. for now, though, the talks are stuck. her cabinet at home, split on what to do, the prime minister left with a brave face. there has been good progress made in these talks and michel barnier himself has recognised that over the coming weeks we will be able to make constructive progress as well. in private, and increasingly in public uk ministers are frustrated that the eu won't budge. some backers are starting to wonner if it will be soon time to walk away. with the eu saying deadlock when you do think we should say walk away? well foreign secretary? what is the answer? we think as i say, that we

made some very helpful suggestions to get the thing, get the great ship moving down the slipway and on to the open seas, that is what what we wa nt to the open seas, that is what what we want to see. we see no reason that should not take place, we are looking for some urgency from our friends and partners and a time to put a tiger in the tank and get this thing done. but labour thinks the tories approach is the problem. not the eu side. the danger is we will get to march 2019, with no deal, we will fall out of the eu, we will go on to world trade organisation rules and there will be threats to a lot of jobs all across britain. but hang on. for months round here, it has almost been impossible to find anyone who really believes that this month would be the moment when the talks would move to the vital next phase. there has been some

gross behind closed doors, just not very much and there won't be more until the political leaders are ready to intervene. but today's drama in brussels doesn't mean the chances of a deal are dead. they are working hard in whitehall to move things to a conclusion. but politicians on both sides may have to budge for that to happen. the deal that will define the decisions that change our lives is tonight, still far from reach. chris morris is in brussels. how much subpoena rhetoric versus the reality? a lot of the talk about deadlock comes down to one sentence in theresa may's florence speech when she said the uk would honour financial commitment it has made as a member of the eu. the british side won't specify what the commitments are and for the rest of the eu that

is not good enough. they want more reassurance about money, and every timea reassurance about money, and every time a public disagreement is aired among the british cabinet, that gets noticed in other capitals so it is a deadlock that could be broken quickly but we will have to wait to the end of the year at best until we get a decision about whether we can start talking about trade. could michel barnier‘s mandate get broadened in the meantime, to talk to uk about a transition period after brexit? the signals have been getting is at the moment that looks unlikely but my understanding is that a draft copy of conclusions for next week's summit suggest that the other 27 countries may be asked to begin formal consultations among themselves, about what that transition period could look like. the police in london and new york are investigating allegations of sexual assault by the hollywood movie mogul harvey weinstein. the british actress emma thompson has told the bbc sexual harassment is endemic in hollywood and the whole culture of the movie business needs to change.

from new york, nick bryant reports. harvey weinstein emerged from his daughter's house, the movie mogul still trying to direct the scene. come on. i will take it with you. don't follow. i am being good. come on. i will take it with you. don't follow. i am being goodm come on. i will take it with you. don't follow. i am being good. it is the first time she has spoken on camera since scandal engulfed him. are you doing 0k? camera since scandal engulfed him. are you doing ok? i am trying my best. but there was no apology to his alleged victims no display of shame. he did talk about himself. his alleged victims no display of shame. he did talk about himselflj am shame. he did talk about himself.” am not doing ok. i am trying. i got to get help guys. you know, what, we all make mistake, second chance i hope. ? but second chances seem a long way off right now. despite an earlier written statement. because the storyline is being written by

big name movie stars like angelina joelly and gwyneth paltrow. more than 20 women who claimed he harassed them and worse. the latest actress to make allegation is kate beckinsale who said he became abusive. she claims her career suffered as a result. he has denied three accusation of rape and any none consensual sexual allegations but the police are conducting a review. wasn't the investigation wasn't that a slam—dunk? —dunk? investigation wasn't that a slam-dunk? -dunk? prosecutors have been criticised for not pursuing a case against him two years ago when a sting allegations was mounted against him. if we had a case we could prosecute against him we would have. do you mean you made the decision? we made the decision as an

office. in an interview with newsnight emma thompson said the problem of sexual harassment goes beyond harvey weinstein. they don't surprise me at all, they are endemic to. there are opportunities to call this man out on his disgusting behaviour. i have always been loyal. this spoke of his cosy relationship with some in the media. i have been a good quy~ get some help man. it is notjust the press chasing this story, the accusations are being investigated by police on both sides of the atlantic. a british woman who travelled to syria four years ago to act as a recruiter for so—called islamic state has been killed in a drone strike. sallyjones, who was originally from kent, became a high profile supporter for is and used social media to encourage western women tojoin them. our security correspondent

frank gardner reports. iconic, threatening and british. the jihadist recruiter and convert sally—anne jones from kent. she fled to syria in 2013 and joined so—called islamic state. from there, she broadcast a stream of hate—filled anti—western propaganda online. she was married to this man, junaid hussain, a computer hacker later killed in a drone strike. together, they plotted attacks on the west and gave instructions on bomb—making. this boy was identified by his grandparents in an is propaganda video as her son, jojo, who she took with her to syria. today, the uk government responded to reports of her death with this warning to thosejoining islamic state, also known as daesh. i can confirm that, if you are a british national in iraq or syria and if you have chosen to fight for daesh, an illegal organisation, that is preparing and inspiring terror attacks on our streets, then you've made yourself a legitimate target, and you run the risk every hour of every day of being on the wrong end

of an raf or united states missile. it's believed the drone strike was directed from this air base in the united states. pilots are said to have remotely targeted her using an unmanned drone, similar to this one, killing her with a missile injune, close to syria's border with iraq. it's not known if her son was with her at the time. an expert on the justice movement had this damning verdict on what sally—anne jones's legacy will be. i remember speaking to syrian women who had joined isis themselves, and they would ask me about women like her, and they would say, what does she have to do with us? this is our civil war? i think her legacy is one of a bewildering clash of lost souls in europe attaching themselves to a civil war in a distant movement that has nothing to do with them. sally—anne jones was

on the interpol wanted list, which gave her aliases and alleged crimes. she was certainly useful to is for publicity purposes but, now that the group is on the verge of military defeat in iraq and syria, her death will have little impact on its already shrinking fortunes. the former punk rock singer from kent is now likely to be one more of the hundreds of western recruits to is to perish in the collapse of its caliphate. frank gardner, bbc news. the government has set out a proposal to limit gas and electricity bills for two thirds of households until at least 2020. it would empower the energy regulator, ofgem, to impose a temporary cap on standard variable tariffs — which are usually the most expensive rates. our business correspondent emma simpson explains. brace yourself — christmas is coming, especially for this stallholder at basildon market today. andy's also thinking about his energy bills. we switch the lights off, we take the plugs out.

you know, we do whatever we can, but the bills are always the same or more. are you on a standard variable tariff? yeah, unfortunately. why haven't you switched? it's not as if i don't need the money either! it's just... i suppose it's laziness, much of the time. sound familiar? andy is one of 12 million households on standard variable tariffs, the default rate, and it's almost always much more expensive. the government reckons customers are overpaying by £1.11 billion per year, and its estimated they could save an average of £300 if they switched to the cheapest deal. today, the government pressed ahead with its solution, a price cap, the biggest intervention in the energy market for years. our goal is to ensure a fair deal, so the markets currently have not delivered this, and that is why the energy companies and ofgem need to act,

but it's also precisely for this reason that we are publishing this draft bill today. it will be up to the regulator to calculate how a cap would work. labour says it isn't radical enough. and there are plenty, including consumer groups, who think it's not the ideal solution. politicians need to make up their minds. do you want a competitive market, where we encourage people to switch? in which case, we need big price differences between the cheapest and most expensive. or do you want to regulate prices? both of those work. price caps are somewhere in the middle. customers like andy shouldn't bank on making any christmas savings. the price cap won't be in place for this winter, when energy bills really start to bite. emma simpson, bbc news, basildon. our top story this evening: conflicting views of the brexit talks — brussels says deadlock over money, britain says "tangible progress". and still to come:

bullying in the british paralympic swimming squad. an investigation finds a coach created a climate of fear. coming up on sportsday, we catch up with the olympic gymnast claudia fragapane, after her bronze medal and brilliant performance at the world championships last week. a bbc investigation has found that great ormond street hospital is failing to meet national standards of care for intersex patients. that's people born with physical or genetic differences that make it hard to define their gender. some patients and their families are not being given psychological help before having irreversible surgery at the hospital. the regulator, the care quality commission, says it's investigating. great ormond street hospital, one of the leading authorities on intersex care, says it's committed to working on the most complex intersex cases. faye kirkland is a gp who has been looking into the story for the bbc. when joel holliday was born,

doctors couldn't say if he was a boy or a girl. his genitals weren't fully formed. on his first birthday, on the advice of doctors at great ormond street hospital, his parents made the difficult decision to raise joel as joella. he is one of hundreds of babies born in the uk each year with either physical or genetic differences which make it difficult to define their gender. having some intersex traits is nearly as common as having red hair. but forjoel, the decision led to years of depression and self—harm, until he discovered he was genetically male. the truth about who i am, it was almost like a light switch moment. people often say to me, it must have been very difficult to transition from being female to male. for me, it was really easy. it felt like i'd got my life back. but his medical notes also revealed his healthy testes had been removed at 18 months.

removing my reproductive organs is where a line was crossed. psychologically, i've got better but that's something i can't everfix. there is no suggestion great ormond street hospital acted against best practise at the time, but now, most children likejoel would be brought up male. over the last decade, standards and guidelines say all these cases should be discussed by specialist teams of experts to ensure the best possible outcome. they also say it is crucial families and children should be seen by a psychologist. but that's not been happening at great ormond street. we've been told there's been no face—to—face psychological support for children and their families who've been referred in the last six months, despite surgery still being performed. even before that, not all children and their families had access to this care.

there are also concerns that operations are taking place on intersex patients at great ormond street without the input of an expert panel at the hospital and that a lack of written information for parents to take home makes it difficult for them to understand the treatments they're consenting to. a leading specialist says the failure to provide this care is against national guidance. no surgery should be undertaken without the whole team being involved with the decision—making and signed up, collectively, to whatever that decision was — to have surgery or not to have surgery. the hospital refused to do an interview and declined to say if they were meeting national standards. in a statement, they said patients diagnosed at the hospital are discussed by multi—disciplinary teams and that a new specialist psychologist would be joining in the coming weeks. nhs england say these cases are rare but the children and their families

should be involved in decisions about their treatment. the care quality commission says it is now investigating ourfindings. faye kirkland, bbc news. the nhs is under "severe and unrelenting pressure" according to its medical director. sir bruce keogh said he was worried about how staff would cope if there's a major flu outbreak, this winter. our health editor hugh pym is with me. there are concerns every year about a flu outbreak. why is this year a particular worry? in australia's winter, which has just passed, there were many more flu cases than usual and there is a concern in the same strain might reach europe, which is why the word is going out for everyone to have a flu jab, particularly nhs staff, who get it for free and might have flew without realising it and could spread it around patients. there is

huge variation in take—up. at one hospital, fewer than 20% of staff we re hospital, fewer than 20% of staff were vaccinated. at another, 95%. nhs chiefs say that variation has to be dealt with and employers need to do more to make it available. care home workers will be given the vaccine for free, home workers will be given the vaccine forfree, paid home workers will be given the vaccine for free, paid for by the nhs. the concern is that last winter hospitals were close to capacity, sometimes without enough beds, and there was not a clue problem, and if it happened this time could push the system close to the edge, which is why the chief of nhs england has said it will be a particularly difficult winter and the thing that worries him most is an outbreak of flu or norovirus. complaints of bullying by some members of the british paralympic swimming squad have been upheld by an independent investigation. the sport's governing body has apologised, saying a coach was found to have created a "climate of fear". our sports editor dan roan reports. cheering. they helped put a smile on the face of british sport. these swimmers were the country's most successful team at last year's rio paralympics,

but we now know that, under the surface, the glory came at a cost. the most powerful man in the sport today telling me the athletes had been subject to a climate of fear. we've apologised to our athletes, and it's right and proper that we should do so, because they'd been subjected to attitudes and behaviour which i and british swimming consider unacceptable. a climate of fear? yes, and these and others are not acceptable to us. this man, the squad's former head coach, rob greenwood, left his job before an investigation began, and it's not known whether he disputes the allegations. he declined to comment. tonight, we can reveal that hannah russell, who won two golds in rio and has a visual impairment, was one of the paralympians whose complaint was upheld. her father telling us about the toll it had taken. you do have to listen to your daughter on the end of the phone, who is upset, is fearful of the way she is being managed, and that's a big concern. other families have been

through a lot of turmoil, a lot of distress over the last two or three years. in march, we revealed that britain's paralympic swimming squad, based here, at manchester's aquatics centre, had become embroiled in a bullying scandal, with as many as 13 athletes making complaints. they included some of the most vulnerable, youngest and most successful pa ralympians in the country, arguably the most serious case yet in a growing list of athlete welfare controversies. this year, an independent investigation heard there was a culture of fear at british cycling. there were allegations of racism against a gb bobsleighing coach, claims of bullying and abuse at british canoeing, and police reopened an investigation involving a coach and a young para—archer. you want your child to be in a really rewarding and enjoyable environment but, if they are pushed too far, if they are not managed effectively... that then did eventually become a sort of climate of fear that people couldn't operate in properly. british swimming has vowed

to overhaul its culture. the challenge now, to keep on winning but not at the expense of welfare. dan roan, bbc news, manchester. gordon strachan has left his job as scotland manager after the team failed to qualify for next summer's world cup in russia. our sports correspondent chris mclaughlin is outside hampden park in glasgow. chris, how much of a surprise is this? no real surprise, to be honest. scotland's failure to beat slovenia a few days ago ended any hopes of getting to those finals in russia next year. gordon strachan has been imposed for just under five next year. gordon strachan has been imposed forjust under five years, but he has had two campaigns, two failures, and one obvious outcome. the scottish fa met here at hampden park earlier today. they had a discussion for 30 minutes before

releasing a statement thanking gordon strachan for his efforts. attention now turns to who will replace him. david moyes has been mentioned. michael o'neill, the northern ireland manager, also mentioned. whoever comes in, the task is clear, if not simple, to get scotla nd task is clear, if not simple, to get scotland to a major finals for the first time since 1998. thank you. national trust members are voting on whether to ban hunting with hounds from trust land. trail hunting, where riders and hounds follow a fox—based scent, is currently allowed on trust estates. but animal rights campaigners argue it's being used as a means of getting round the ban on fox hunting, and that foxes continue to be pursued and killed. claire marshall has been out with a hunt in the new forest. the official fox hunting season starts next month. now it's exercise time. these are the hounds of the new forest hunt. traditional hunting is banned. these noses are now supposed to follow only fox scent that comes from a bottle, known as trail hunting. they regularly run over national trust land, but opponents want this stopped.

they say trail hunting is used as a cover for real hunting, that foxes are still being killed. this is a claim the hunts reject. there's 67 hunts who hunt under licence from the national trust. they've done so for 12 years. there have been no persecutions during that time on national trust land for illegal hunting. but look at this, say animal welfare campaigners. they gave the bbc this footage of what they say is illegal hunting on trust land. helen beynon says she proposed the motion after seeing a fox being hunted on national trust property. i came home and i was in tears. i decided that if the national trust do this, i have to do something about it. this is an old, bitter debate, and the national trust is now in a tricky position at the heart of it. we are trying to make sure we balance out the interests of people who want to go trail hunting, with the interest of people who visit our properties

and don't want their visit disrupted or disturbed. the question now for national trust members is how much of a part in the future of the rural landscape do they want packs like this to play. i don't think it should be allowed, especially not on national trust land, because that should be land that is safe for animals and for people as well. we are losing some of our heritage, really. as long as the foxes aren't chased, then i have no objection. the trust has already introduced new limits on trail hunting, but if members vote for a total ban, it will be difficult to ignore. claire marshall, bbc news, in the new forest. time for a look at the weather. here's phil avery. not bad today, no real complaints from the good folk of bedfordshire, i suspect. we always had high hopes

for today but this time yesterday we we re for today but this time yesterday we were talking about the extraordinary amounts of rain in the cumbrian fells, and the rivers have responded. the cloud has filled in and across scotland and northern ireland and that is the shape of things to come across a good part of the north of britain. we have weather fronts coming from the atla ntic weather fronts coming from the atlantic with rain, some of it heavy on the western isles of scotland and through northern ireland late on. quite a lot of isobars as well. not a cold night, but a wet and windy start across a good part of scotland and northern ireland, the cumbrian fells and the western side of wales, too. the weather is on the move. that front will clear from the top half of scotland and a pretty bright afternoon with a scattering of showers, perhaps, moved along by a noticeable south—westerly wind. the rain mounting up in cumbria again, 70 millimetres or so. pretty wet at the top end of wales. the further south and east you are, the drier

and brighter your afternoon will be. some of us will see 20 degrees, which is a foretaste of what is to come potentially for the weekend. we will tap into some of the warmth across siberia and the near continent, and with a bit of sunshine somewhere in the south could see 23 degrees, not bad for the time of year. but you have to be south of this weather front. it will move back during saturday. the rain will be confined to the western side of scotla nd will be confined to the western side of scotland with some brightness in the south on saturday and again on sunday. this is where we are hopeful of seeing temperatures exceeding 20 degrees, but not for everybody. spare a thought for the west of scotland. cool with more rain. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me. now we join the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello and welcome to sportsday. i'm mike bushell and, tonight,

scotland are starting the search for a new football manager. it follows the end of gordon strachan's reign after scotland's failure the make the play—offs for next year's world cup in russia. british swimming says sorry to some of its para—athletes, for what a report found to be a "a climate of fear". it isa it is a disappointing when you have toen to your daughter on the other end of the phone upset and is fea rful of end of the phone upset and is fearful of the way she's being managed. good evening, thanks forjoining us. we'll start with the news that gordon strachan has left his position as scotland manager by "mutual consent", just four days after the team failed to qualify for the world cup. here's more from our reporter kheredine idessan. the end was swift. the board members

arrived by 9.00am. by 2.30pm, a statement confirming gordon strachan's departure. stuart regan said after almost five years, it was time for a new direction to repair for europe row 2020 and a new national coach should be recruited to provide fresh impetus. strachan said managing his country had been a real privilege. his biggest regret, not being able to find the times tournament you fans deserved. the sack has surprised some. his remit was to qualify scotland for the european championships and the word cup and failed.